Trump Didn´t Consult Military on Withdrawal from Syria

The commander said while the original 34,000 square miles of territory held by the terrorist group has been reduced to less than 20 square miles, Daesh still retains leaders, fighters, facilitators and resources.

Votel noted the fight against Daesh is not over, despite the withdrawal of troops.

A decision on troop pullout, especially in case of Afghanistan, needs to be taken now so that its implementation could coincide with the time when the election activity in the United States is in full swing, and President Trump could tell the American voters that he did what he pledged, and score political points in his bid to get re-elected as president of the world's sole superpower.

A top U.S. general warned on Tuesday that Islamic State would pose an enduring threat following a planned American withdrawal from Syria, saying the militant group retained leaders, fighters, facilitators and resources that will fuel a menacing insurgency. There have been no reports to date of USA troops leaving Syria.

Unmoved by the rare opposition from his very own party, President Trump, during a recent television interview, insisted that his promise to bring USA troops home was "a big part" of the reason that he was elected.

The highly respected Votel, former head of the Joint Special Operations Command, also appears to be at odds with Trump on the resiliency of ISIS and the terror group's ability to surge again once USA troops leave.

"We're at 99 percent right now, we'll be at 100", he said on CBS' "Face the Nation".

Officials said that overall, about 2,000 ISIS militants remain in Syria.

He added the planning for a withdrawal includes devising ways to keep pressure on ISIS, but he declined to discuss strategies in an unclassified setting. Reminded that a vast majority of Senate Republicans opposed his withdrawal plans, Trump said in the 2016 election, he "ran against 17 Republicans ... and won very easily".

U.S. officials in recent weeks say Islamic State has lost 99.5 percent of its territory and is holding on to fewer than 10 square kilometres of turf in Syria - an area smaller than New York's Central Park.

Trump himself is expected to speak to the gathered foreign ministers at the State Department-hosted conference on Wednesday is widely expected to reiterate and expand on his anti-Islamic State message from the State of the Union, officials said.

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